Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa eyeing late push for England World Cup place

The forward, boasting 20 caps for England and having featured in their Euro 2024 setup, missed selection in Thomas Tuchels 35-man group for the Wembley encounters owing to an extended period of poor finishing throughout the campaign.

Yet since that list was revealed, Watkins has regained his sharpness, finding the net four times across four fixtures, highlighted by his landmark 100th strike for Villa during Thursdays 4-0 Europa League triumph over Bologna.

Questioned on regaining his England berth, the 30-year-old shared with TNT Sports: Just keep scoring goals.

Thats all I can do. I was disappointed not to be in the previous squad, but yeah, I can understand his (Tuchels) reasons for not picking me.

I just have to do my talking on the pitch and keep performing well and then score as many as I can come the end of the season.

The Three Lions face preparatory friendlies versus New Zealand and Costa Rica in June ahead of the World Cup, jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico spanning June 11 to July 19.

Their Group L adventure kicks off June 17 versus Croatia in Dallas, then Ghana on June 23 followed by Panama four days on.